Running on Insulin

Chapter 50

Samantha POV

Monday morning, I woke up for school and was already anxious that over the rest of the weekend, Jill would have changed her mind and decided it was my fault she had a seizure and would decide she was mad at me. 

She'd texted me on Sunday and told me she felt better, and that she was out with her family and would see me at school, but who knows what happened between then and today?

I went downstairs for breakfast, which apparently Josh had gotten up again and made. Waffles and bacon. 

"How was your blood sugar?" he asked as I sat at the breakfast bar. 

"Eighty," I said. 

"Okay. I have no idea what that means."

"It means it's fine,"  I said. 

"Okay. Well, here's your insulin, take that, I don't know how much you need, and then breakfast is ready."

Jenna came downstairs and  poured herself a cup of coffee.  Tyler came down about five minutes later and did the same. 

"Did you take your insulin?" Jenna asked me. 

"Yes," I said. 

"All of it?"

"Well, no. Not all of it. But I took what I needed for waffles and bacon," I said. It was getting easier to take the right amount of insulin, because Jenna and Tyler kept encouraging me to, and they never once got upset when I needed to start a new pen. 

Jenna looked at me. 

"Did you just make a joke?" she said. 

I shrugged. 

"Maybe?"

"You did. You just made a joke. About insulin. And it was hilarious," she laughed. I smiled. 

"Nice one," Tyler said, coming up to me and giving me a hug. 

"Alright, missy," Jenna said. "Busy week.  We have your endocrinologist tomorrow after school and Dr. Freud on Thursday after school. Okay?"

I nodded as I ate the last of my bacon. 

"And Marie wants to come by on Friday after school," Jenna added. 

"Why? I thought she wanted to come Saturdays."

"I don't know. But I told her Friday was fine. It's better than Saturday, if you ask me. She deserves time off, too."

"I bet my dad - Stanley - found a way to block the adoption," I said. 

"I doubt that," Jenna said. "Can we try not to think about that? Remember, Marie said hopefully she'd have a court date soon."

"When did she say that?" I asked. 

"Oh, that's right. That was while you were downstairs with Josh. I thought we'd told you.  All of our paperwork, and yours, has been filed, and Marie says we should be able to get a court date soon to make this official."

"What does that mean? Do I have to see my - Stanley - in court?"

"No, sweetie," Jenna said, coming up to me and putting her arm around my shoulders. "It means that we would go before the judge, he'd ask you, and us, a few questions about whether you really want to come live with us forever, and then he signs the adoption certificate and you're our daughter. Officially. Forever."

"That sounds too easy.  Stanley's going to find a way to mess this up. I just know it," I said, tears forming in my eyes.

"Marie says it's just a formality and with your dad's rights having been terminated, he has no legal standing."

"He'll find a way. A loophole. Something."

Jenna pulled me into a tight hug. 

"Sweetheart, Marie has pretty much guaranteed that there is nothing that can be done on his end. He agreed to the termination. I heard a saying once, 'don't borrow trouble'. So, I don't want you to worry, okay? I want you to know what's going on, but I don't want you to worry. Because we'll do everything we can to protect you until your adoption is final. Okay?" 

I nodded. But in the pit of my stomach I felt a knot forming. 

We got ready to leave for school.  Before we left, Josh reminded me to 'let my freak flag fly. That made me feel a little better. 

Jenna and Tyler drove me to school and Jill was waiting outside for me, with a smile on her face and an envelope in her hand. 

"Hey!" she said as I got out of the car and walked up to her. 

"Hi," I said, distractedly.  Jenna and Tyler called out a goodbye and I turned around and waved. 

"You okay?" Jill asked me. 

"Kinda, yeah," I said. 

"What's the matter?" Jill asked. I told her about the adoption and how I was worried Stanley was going to find a way to mess it up. 

"He's in jail though, isn't he?" she asked. 

"Yeah. But who knows who he's contacted? He might have someone watching for adoption proceedings, if that can even be done. I just feel like he's going to mess this up for me, like he messes everything up."

Jill frowned. 

"I get that you're worried," she said. "But, what will you accomplish by worrying?"

"I might get a really nice ulcer," I said. 

"Ew. Who wants that? Look, you can talk to me about anything. Vent about your da - Stanley - and whatever is bugging your or worrying you. Okay?"

"Thanks, Jill," I said. 

"Oh, hey," Jill said, handing me the envelope. "This is for you."

"What is it?"

She shrugged. 

"It's from my mom and dad," she said. 

I opened the envelope and inside was a card. I read it. It was a thank you from Jill's parents thanking me for taking care of Jill and for getting Josh and Tyler to play some music for her. There was also a gift card to Barnes & Noble. I hugged Jill and thanked her. I'd have to find a way to thank her parents, too. 

We walked in to school and headed to our lockers.  Jill and I met back up at our English class and went in. 

School was pretty much the same as every other day. Adam was his usual jerk self, and I ignored him as I usually did.  I went to the nurse's office to do my insulin again, and finished the day in gym class. 

Jenna picked me up and told me Tyler and Josh were busy working on something, so they hadn't come. 

We went home and I did some homework in the kitchen while eating my after school snack. Jenna sat with me and asked about my day. I told her pretty much everything. There wasn't a lot to tell. Which was kind of nice. It was uneventful for once. 

Josh and Tyler came up from the basement studio around dinner time, and Jenna and I were making dinner together.  Chicken and broccoli and rice. Jenna explained how she cooked stuff and I followed her instructions. It was kind of fun.

The four of us sat down, and ate dinner together.  I was starting to feel so safe with the Josephs.